in genetics, all of the genes on a single chromosome. They are inherited as a group; that is, during cell division they act and move as a unit rather than independently. The existence of linkage groups is the reason some traits do not comply with Mendel's law of independent assortment (recombination of genes and the traits they control); i.e., the principle applies only if genes are located on different chromosomes. Variation in the gene composition of a chromosome can occur when a chromosome breaks, and the sections join with the partner chromosome if it has broken in the same places. This exchange of genes between chromosomes, called crossing over, usually occurs during meiosis, when the total number of chromosomes is halved.

Sex linkage is the tendency of a characteristic to be linked to one sex. The X chromosome in Drosophila flies and human beings, for example, carries a complete set of genes; the Y chromosome has only a few genes. Eggs of females carry an X chromosome; sperm of males may carry an X or a Y. An egg fertilized by a sperm with an X chromosome results in a female; one fertilized by a sperm with a Y chromosome results in a male. In offspring with the XY chromosome pair, any trait carried by the X chromosome will appear unless there is a corresponding gene (allele) on the Y chromosome. Examples of sex-linked traits in man are red–green colour blindness and hemophilia. These traits are controlled by genes on the X chromosome and thus occur much more frequently in men than in women because there is no allele on the Y chromosome to offset them. See also sex chromosome.